Orange Memories: Remembrance to Christmas Joy
By Beth Robertson
November has been a quieter month than October—a little breather before December arrives with its pre-Christmas and Christmas happenings.
Early in the month, Ernie Hamilton made an impromptu stop to entertain us with his vocals and guitar. Thank you for that, Ernie.
On Remembrance Day, a number of residents gathered to watch the local service on a large screen, live-streamed from the Rosetown United Church. Others observed the national broadcast from Ottawa on their personal TVs.
Remembrance Day is of special significance in Orange Memories. Some residents remember the beginning and ending of World War II. Most residents were born before or during the war years. We remember huddling around the radio or being "shushed up" so Mom and Dad could hear the evening news. We remember how we waited anxiously for the local newspaper to see war maps and read the news in detail. We recall families in our home communities receiving the dreaded "We regret to inform you" telegram. We remember celebrations that happened in even the smallest communities when the war ended. We remember the servicemen and women coming home. We remember how the world breathed a sigh of relief when armistice papers were signed and how people around the world worked together to peacefully rebuild a battered planet.
With uncertain times in so many parts of the world, our prayers for peace are deep and sincere. Wealth, greed, and power-seeking leaders seem to dominate the world stage while ordinary people collectively hold their breath and pray.
In keeping with Remembrance Day, we talked with one of our residents, Margaret Henderson. See a portion of her story elsewhere in the paper.
The Rosetown Senior Choral Group made their monthly appearance on November 19. They sang familiar songs from WWI, and many joined in the singing. We had a good laugh when Marcel Dubois enacted "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." Following the singing, we enjoyed "tea and crumpets" and good conversation.
We enjoyed a time of fellowship with the folks from the Wheatland Regional Centre at their regular gathering here on November 20.
Daily activities provide an opportunity for fellowship and fun. Cassidy leads us in table games and more active endeavours like curling, bocce ball, and corn hole.
We have a singalong each Thursday at 10:45. Come and join us as we welcome in the Christmas season. Singing has been proven to be good for your health and can even slow dementia. More about that later.
I would like to end this news article with a poem I wrote and set to music in 2009. It is something for each of us to think about this Christmas season.
Christmas Wish
My heart is aching this Christmas
For the cold and lonely people on the street,
For children torn apart by parents' quarreling,
For the empty staring eyes of those I meet.
My heart is aching this Christmas
For people torn apart by war's deep strife,
For children near and far who are hungry,
For those who struggle daily for their life.
And so my wish this Christmas season
Is not for gifts beneath the tree,
I wish the lonely and the sick could find relief,
And all imprisoned wrongly could be free.
My heart is aching this Christmas
For the lost, the wandering, and abandoned, too,
For grieving hearts who’ve said goodbye to loved ones,
For all the things that make a Christmas blue.
My heart is aching this Christmas,
For those whose eyes are blinded by their greed,
For those who do not see God’s children in despair,
For those who cannot see another’s need.
And so my wish this Christmas season
Is not for gifts beneath the tree,
I wish the world around true community be found,
And may that Christmas spirit start with me.
Merry Christmas
Words and music: Beth Robertson, 2009
Meet an Orange Memories Resident
Did you know that fewer than 2% of the people born in the 1930s are still living? Of those born in the 1920s, the number still living is negligible—less than 0.5%. Most residents in Orange Memories fit into those two categories. During the upcoming months, we hope to capture some of their stories before those stories are lost. This month, we talked with Margaret Henderson. Margaret, now 100 years old, resides in Orange Memories. She has lost her hearing. Thus, our "chat" was all via the written word.
Margaret Henderson was one of approximately 48,000 war brides who crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Canada. They came from France, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Italy, and England. Very few war brides are still alive; Margaret is one of them. She was born to Hilda and James Oakes on April 11, 1925, in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, where she was raised along with her two brothers. At age 17½, she joined the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force). One of her duties was to drive servicemen to their postings. It was during this time that she met Lloyd Henderson, an RAF pilot. Both were stationed at Squadron 10. They dated for three and a half months and were married in November 1944. Lloyd was discharged from the air force and returned to Canada. Margaret followed later, arriving in Canada on VE Day 1945. She arrived aboard the Synthia, along with 300 other war brides, docking at Pier 21 in Halifax. Lloyd was there to meet her. Then came the long train trip to Saskatchewan.
As difficult as it was to leave her home country, Margaret adapted to a new way of life on their farm at Herschel. Her "wait and see" attitude made adjustments easier, but she did find herself often asking, "Will I ever learn?" But learn she did. She adapted to the farm way of life and to living in a small community. She was soon taking part in her favourite activity—singing, both as a soloist and in choirs. Another favourite activity was dancing, and there was much opportunity for that. They raised five children on their farm: Dawn, Grant, Laurie (deceased), Maureen, and Warren.
After many years on the farm, Lloyd and Margaret retired to Rosetown. Lloyd passed away in 2019. Margaret, at age 100, now resides in Orange Memories Care Home. She has lost her hearing but not her infectious smile, her sense of humour, or her ability to communicate through the written word. When recently asked how she felt about living in Saskatchewan, she replied, "I am 100% Canadian. Yippee!"
Just an interesting aside: Throughout their many years of marriage, Lloyd preferred to have her "behind the wheel."